because from the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks (Matt. 12:34)

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MANAGEMENT MEMOS. We can’t avoid them.
But, I assure you, we can reduce them tremendously if we simply take a moment to think. When something goes so wrong that a manager feels the need to address it with one reprimanding, blanket, team memo that’s usually the very time a memo should not be sent. Corrective blanket memos are rarely, if ever, needed. In our company they are not even allowed because they do more harm than good. Our managers have to work harder than that.

Public praise? Sure. Education and training? Absolutely. But keep criticism private and accurately directed. If you’re a manager, always consider the math.

Is this an isolated issue? Are only a few people involved? Then why should the entire group be addressed? A blanket memo addressing an entire group is about as immature as a subtweet and will garner about the same level of respect. Passive aggressive anonymity appears weak and transparent, even snarky. Savvy readers know who you’re talking about and get irritated with you wasting their time, requiring them to read a memo that has nothing to do with them. Even using “we” won’t hide that you’re addressing others, not yourself. Plus the offending party will likely think it’s about someone else anyway. Or worse, they’ll resent you for calling them out in front of the team while the other team members learn to distrust you for that practice. Corrective group memos either cause bad energy or get ignored. Good leaders get to the source of the problem and deal with it directly.

Is this a total team fail that you think warrants a group memo since everyone was involved? Think again. When everyone on the team makes the same mistake, including managers and trainers, you need to look for a system flaw. And who is in charge of the system? You, the manager. Take a little time to go over the routine and consider the possibility of some systematic failure – a gap somewhere, a missed step maybe, distraction perhaps – some reason why something bad would go unnoticed or be mishandled by an entire team for so long. Good leaders get to the source of the problem, remember? The source of a total team fail is always the system put in place by leadership.

My husband, who is also a coach, once told me he never understood coaches who publicly reprimand players after the fact for not doing something they didn’t know to do. He said that just exposes what the coaches failed to teach. A good coach teaches before the play, recognizing that a player’s mistakes reveal what still needs to be taught.

When addressing problems, remember, people support what they help create. So rather than cracking whips and breaking employees down, try collaborating. Maybe start with something surprisingly vulnerable, like, “Hey guys, I need your help.”

If you push something on me I will push back in reaction. Shove someone and they’ll shove back. So pull instead. Pull the blame on yourself. Be honest. Say, “My system has failed,” and offer supporting details. Their natural tendency will then be to pull the blame back on themselves. Hmm, that might not be the manager’s fault. Surely we knew better. Tell your team what happened on your watch and invite suggestions for improvement because the responsibility is yours, not theirs. If they could do everything right without you, they wouldn’t need you. Or, more likely, you’d be working for them. Ultimately, it’s the manager’s job to ensure the success of the team. If they all screw up, it’s the fault of the leader. So set the example and take responsibility yourself.

Deal directly with the source and spare everyone else the stress. When you discover the source of the problem is you, own it and be honest. Your team will realize (without you telling them) that as part of your team they are collectively to blame. What’s more, they won’t get defensive or resist correction because you didn’t heave the blame on them. They’ll respect that you were strong enough to hold yourself accountable and follow your lead. In the end, you still get what you need – they know where they failed and the correction happens anyway – but it’s handled as a team with a leader who is confident enough to accept responsibility. Rise above the corrective group memo and go straight to the source of the problem, even if the problem is you. Correction: especially if the problem is you.

At Pet World, we hire twice per year. The process takes about six weeks. After completing the first nine steps of our non-traditional hiring process, applicants are narrowed down from hundreds to usually less than a dozen. New hires shadow trainers and work up through three levels. At Level 1 they merely shadow, observe, and ask questions. This is where we test their ability to pay attention, memorize procedures, and keep pace. At Level 2 rookies demonstrate procedures with a trainer supervising closely and correcting as needed. This is how we discern their retention skills. At Level 3 they demonstrate while supervised from a distance. This is where we observe initiative and independence and either add them to our set schedule or cut them loose. New hires are given a minimum and maximum number of hours to complete the three levels. For the first few weeks this system is intense and our trainers maintain great focus.

Upon completion of the three levels, new hires are added to our set schedule, alone in the easier departments, and with a trainer where needed. They attend weekly training seminars and, even when they have a trainer present, always have a back up manager on duty who is also a trainer. At this point our trainers tend to exhale and relax when, in reality, they should take their training up a notch. They push rookies to be independent but sometimes at the expense of the customer experience. About six weeks into this process, we usually find the need to regroup.

The memo typically goes like this:

Trainers, as we settle into the new set schedule I need you to ask yourselves something. Are you still training? Because, as you know, employees can’t learn everything in the Education Room. All we can accomplish in there is a solid foundation on which to build. The real training happens on the job. You know this. We’ve laid down the law that employees cannot share anything they haven’t learned at Pet World so are you still maximizing their opportunities to learn? Teach them to use their Pet World resources – more experienced coworkers, trainers, managers, breeders, vendors, books, etc. but not at the expense of the customer experience. Remember, once that open sign is flipped and customers are in the store, it’s show time. It doesn’t matter how busy you are. Is the employee’s question not something you can answer? Aren’t you the expert? If so, answer it right away. The task at hand is always the customer. Yes, employees need to learn independence but never at the expense of our customers.

When the issue can’t be handled by the employee, don’t stand there and tell them what to say. Instead, have them listen to how you handle it. The fact that rookies are seeking your help means they are not yet ready to fly solo. Praise them for recognizing that they need assistance. Have you forgotten how it felt to be new and inexperienced? I understand your intentions but trainers must remember who they’re dealing with. Has your rookie completed sixty hours in that zone or only sixteen? Sometimes Tim and I will have a manager handle something instead of doing it ourselves as part of their training but these are managers we’re talking about. They want to do it on their own. They need to prove they can fly solo. Expectations are higher for seasoned veterans and managers. In no way can rookies be expected to handle much of anything without help. Not only are they not yet capable, they’ve been told not to say anything beyond the scope of their training. When you handle something for them, with them or in front of them, you are training them and the customer not only gets the better employee, they see how much we care to train the newer employee. Then, next time, the rookies will know what to do and, perhaps, instead of asking you for help, they’ll ask you to supervise while they attempt to do it on their own. Independence is the goal but only when they’re ready. Set them up to succeed, not fail. Remember, our success depends on their success.

Letting rookies privately flop on projects is one thing. Letting them fail in front of a customer is quite another and, frankly, a total fail on the part of the trainer – not the rookie. The customer deserves the best person for the job. Getting rookies trained is not the customer’s problem; it’s ours. The audience doesn’t pay to watch a rehearsal; they come to see the show. Sacrificing good customer service in order to train someone the hard way not only demoralizes the rookie, it makes us all look bad. The trainers appear arrogant and rude, too busy for the customer, too distracted to help the rookie, giving off the perception of condescension and disinterest which is actually nothing more than personal incompetence. This approach – especially with the added pressure of the customer’s presence – sets the rookies up to fail. And when they fail, we all fail.

As a trainer or manager, I expect each of you to hold yourselves to a higher standard and set the example for the rookies. Your job as leader doesn’t end when their trial period is over; it ends when you pick up your last paycheck. New employees need to see you immediately drop everything for a customer. Immediately. Everything. Every time. No task is more pressing than the customer. Without the customers, you have no tasks. Everything else – and I mean everything – can wait.

Now, when you find yourself repeatedly bailing out the same employees in the same situations you can deal with that after the fact, back stage, during follow up. We’re looking for employees who never need to be told twice. But when the moment is live, it’s show time. Until the closed sign is flipped and the curtains are closed, it’s lights, camera, action and you remain in the spotlight. Positive, encouraging training can and should happen in front of customers while you have the employee watch you work. Everyone wins with that situation. But employee trial by fire has absolutely no place on the retail stage.